Study Desk

Now ^(F1)Jacob heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, "Jacob has taken away all that was our father's, and from what belonged to our father he has made all this ^(F2)wealth."

And Jacob saw the ^(F1)attitude of Laban, and behold, it was not friendly toward him as it had been before.

Then the LORD said to Jacob, "^(C1)Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and ^(C2)I will be with you."

So Jacob sent word and called Rachel and Leah to his flock in the field,

and said to them, "^(C1)I see your father's ^(F1)attitude, that it is not friendly toward me as it was before, but ^(C2)the God of my father has been with me.

"^(C1)You know that I have served your father with all my strength.

"Yet your father has ^(C1)cheated me and ^(C2)changed my wages ten times; however, ^(C3)God did not allow him to do me harm.

"If ^(C1)he said this: 'The speckled shall be your wages,' then all the flock delivered speckled; and if he said this: 'The striped shall be your wages,' then all the flock delivered striped.

"So God has ^(C1)taken away your father's livestock and given them to me.

"And it came about at the time when the flock was breeding that I raised my eyes and saw in a dream—and behold—the male goats that were ^(F1)mating were striped, speckled, or mottled.

"Then ^(C1)the angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob'; and I said, 'Here I am.'

"He said, 'Now raise your eyes and see that all the male goats that are ^(F1)mating are striped, speckled, or mottled; for ^(C1)I have seen everything that Laban has been doing to you.